A collection of art created by the students of Kristine Daniels at Albert F. Ford Middle School in Acushnet, Massachusetts

Monday, March 4, 2019

2019 Venetian Carnivale Masks

2018-19 Grade 8 art students studied the enduring art of traditional Venetian mask making and its uses, both past and present. This challenging long-term project takes each student from a one-of-a-kind sketched plan all the way through to making the mask a reality!

Students created their masks based on original ideas and sketches inspired by traditional designs and themes of the mezzo-volto Columbina-style used for centuries to celebrate Carnivale in Vencie, Italy. Students were encouraged to create unique designs while considering functionality and construction limitations, use of the entire surface space, concept or theme, color scheme, and more.

When the full-color design plan was in place, students hand-built the 3-D mask form from "plaster craft" (plaster-soaked gauze), unmolded the forms, then painted the design work with acrylics. The final touches were textural elements and embellishments added to the surface to complete the final work using a variety of adhesives. A ribbon-covered stick handle or ribbons for display and functionality completed the masks.